Cut the meat, with the fat, into strips about 2 x 3/4 inches. Barely cover the meat with water in a flameproof dish, add the salt, and bring it to a boil, uncovered.

Lower the flame enough to bring down to a simmer. Let the meat continue simmering until all the liquid has evaporated -- about 1 hour and a half, depending on the shape of your pot. By this time the meat should be cooked through but not falling apart.

Lower the flame a little more and continue cooking the meat until all the fat has rendered out of it. Keep turning the meat until it is lightly browned all over -- about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Notes: The meat will get more evenly cooked if the dish is rather large and shallow. Do not add too much water at the beginning or the meat will fall apart at the frying stage. If the meat is still fairly hard when the water has evaporated, then add a little more water and continue cooking. Choose pork that has a fair amount of fat or you will have to add some lard for it to brown properly.

I love the flavors you get in carnitas slow cooking! I also like to crisp them up in the oven on a baking tray just before serving to get those crispy edges. I make mine in a slow cooker: https://ethnicspoon.com...

I always leave it uncovered, yet see in some of the comments below that some people use a lid that is left ajar. I imagine it is going to depend on how well you can regulate the heat on your stovetop and, also, the type of pan you are using. I hope you are happy with your results - it is very delicious!

You're quite welcome! Sorry it didn't turn out better, but this one is hard to nail consistently without a bit of trial & error. The pork should reach fork-tender before the browning process starts. Keep the fire low and the pot covered, lid slightly ajar, simmering very gently until tender. Let it go for as long as it takes. You REALLY need a very fatty hunk of pork to succeed with carnitas. Cut it into chunks and forget about that "2- 3/4 inch strips" insanity. The crisping should be accomplished quite rapidly if there is sufficient fat in the pot. I might also suggest that you reference Rick Bayless's carnitas by comparison. He has always been my #1 guru for Mexican cuisine. Happy cooking!

Thanks again! My attempt had a happier ending than I thought: I made it in advance, and when I stopped cooking it, I poured all of the fat into a foil packet with the meat. I reheated it slowly in the oven in the sealed foil, and after an hour plus it was pretty tender!I would definitely try this again - next time I think if summer covered for an hour or two before taking the cover off and letting the water evaporate. I had plenty of fat, it just needed a lot longer than the recipe stated to get tender.

Made this recipe for the first time tonight and it was awesome! Another Genius Recipe win! Made it in the Dutch oven. Though the cook time is long, poem turned out perfect! Long/slow cook time made it easy to get it right!

Interesting. Checking out Diana Kennedy's original recipe on page 262 of the 1989 edition she uses absolutely no water. She starts with 4 tbls of lard and cooks ready to serve in just an hour. How is this recipe supposed to be "Diana Kennedy's Carnitas Caseras"?

"Strips about 2-3/4 inches"??? Am I the only one who was confounded about this? To my thinking, "strips" are something like flank steak. So I did strips about 2-3/4 inches long. I was skeptical, with good reason. They turned out really great on the brown and crispy scale, but they aren't succulent *at all.* Not one little bit. Still delicious with corn tortillas, onions, cilantro -- but definitely need a healthy squeeze of lime and some hot sauce. Next time I would make it in chunks. But with all 37 comments, nobody else seemed to have a problem with this. Maybe there's an assumption that carnitas are always in larger chunks, and the "strips" part is to be taken . . . to mean chunks? Surely not. Well, anyway, I'd make it again. I love a three-ingredient recipe, especially when two of them are water and salt. But ignore the "strips" part. It's confusing and didn't really work very well.

Well, I hate to pee in the punch bowl here, that I was not very happy with this recipe.

Problemos: very time-consuming, hard to properly render the fat, and too brown and crunchy.

Time-consumingThis recipe in total took me about 3 hours.The last hour or so required pretty regular stirring to mix the meat up, and that's just too much fiddling around for me.

Hard to render the fatI think this recipe requires a 12 inch skillet or large flat pan, which I did not have.With a smaller skillet, after all that liquid cooks off, you have large pieces of meat that are not in contact with a hot pan, and thus are not losing any other fat.This then requires regular stirring, which is a bother.

Too crunchyI found this recipe resulted in chunks of meat that were overly crispy and brown, combined with large pieces of unrendered fat.The texture was really not very pleasant.

On a more constructive note, the technique I use repeatedly which gives fantastic results is to put it into a pressure cooker, or crockpot if you lack a pressure cooker.The pressure cooker gets it done in about 30 minutes, and flavors to meet with whatever sort of yummy Ness you want to add in terms of liquid, such as orange juice, oregano, etc.Then, you can shred the meat with a couple of forks, put it on a foil covered sheet pan under the broiler for about eight minutes, and get a lovely browning.Advantages: much faster, perfectly rendered fat, more flavor options to add, and more consistent texture.

I've made this for Mexican friends several times, and I always get the thumbs up, for what that's worth.

Sounds like you needed a bigger skillet and crowded the pan. You almost always have to work in batches. A large, deep, cast iron skillet or Dutch oven work best for me. It's a bit of a slow process since you've got to keep your your heat low, but it's not really finicky. More like a labor of love that makes the house smell marvelous. Plus, this old-ways method was perfected long before there were pressure cookers or crockpots!

Yes, the pan was crowded. I used a Dutch oven which I think is 6 quarts, I thought it should be plenty big. And yes, this is an "old-ways" and simple method and it of course predates an electric appliance, but it does not predate a pot with a lid on it and cooking the pork low and slow in liquid without allowing you to evaporate. I'm simply pointing out my observations which will hopefully assist others who want to know pros and cons of this recipe. I prefer more traditional carnitas that are cooked simmered in liquid.

I agree with you both. The Traditional methods are sometimes preferable. Since my pressure cooker broke, I am using my French (Dutch) oven more. I, too, like it browned then just a bit of water added and nothing else letting the flavor of the pork shine through. It will make its own juice as it cooks. Using orange juice is more of a Mediterranean style, tropical.The pork should be cooked until it falls apart as in pulled pork. I then sometimes brown it to a crisp. It is then served with steamed corn tortillas, pico de gallo and for some, lime. Since ours is a Mexican family, we like it the traditional way Mom used to make it. : )

Well said. I add water, too. Did I mention that? And I also disregard anyone's directions on what shape to cut the pork, Huh? 2 X 3/4 in. strips? Got a ruler? I prefer chunks. But, really, isn't that what cooking is all about? You do what YOU LIKE and don't blindly follow recipes and stumble around the kitchen grasping for measuring spoons. That only works for baking. I render my own pork lard religiously. I absolutely love the stuff and the way it perfumes the house. Some people like to add a little water during the process, but I've never added water. I tried it but it just isn't necessary to get the results I want. I do just fine without it. And guess what? NOBODY CARES! LOL. The idea is to get the taste that you're looking for, not to please someone else's concept or rendition of the dish. There are many paths to the same destination. BTW, I agree that the closer anything gets to tasting like Mama's is about as good as it gets! :)

Well in this area I'm lucky to live in California. In the greater Bay Area there is a chain of Mexican groceries named Mi Pueblo. There you can buy prepared carnitas for $7-8 a pound. One big difference between theirs and these here is the cut up size of the raw pork. They cut the pork shoulder into very large very large(grapefruit sized) pieces and then cook as described in a large cauldron. You end up buying very large chunks which are very browned on the out side and pink and tender on the inside. When I get home I cut a chunk into 1"-1-1/2" cubes which I re-brown in their own rendered lard until crispy on the outside. My main advantage is being able to skip the main preparation entirely but cooking in large chunks for later browning I'm sure retains more of the pork juices rather than loosing them during boiling. Can also buy Queso fresco(mexican cheese) many fresh salsas, mexican specific produce and the very most excellent fresh made tortilla chips(a little greasy as opposed to those baked things you find in regular stores) at Mi pueblo.

Wow, turned out great, getting crispy in its own rendered fat is seriously genius.

I started with too much water, but recovered by pulling out the pork and cooking down the water alone after 90 minutes, then added the pork back to continue cooking as it rendered the fat. Will start with less water next time (maybe letting some pieces poke above the surface).

I pressure cook my pork and spread it out on a baking sheet, and stick it under the broiler to brown. Fast and easy. Or dry roast it in a dry frying pan. The fat in and on the meat browns well this way. (Ours is a Mexican family too) : )

As a Mexican I am :) I must say that the carnitas are very, very typical.The state of Michoacan, is the famous place to enjoy some delicious and authentic carnitas, but Diana Kennedy's recipe is quite simple to prepare, but above all, the taste is quite comparable with the famous carnitas Michoacan! This recipe goes straight to my cookbook ;)

SO GOOD. The only downside is that you need a lot of time at home to make, so this is a great weekend dish. I love to serve with julienned jalapeno peppers and red onions in a white vinegar and lime juice dressing, plus lots of cilantro and some mild salsa. Corn tortillas are a must!

Absolutely fabulous. I take corn tortillas, steamed or lightly browned with some oil in an iron skillet; cilantro, sliced green onion, jalapeno slices and of course lots of cold beer and man I'm telling you, they're even good cold the next morining. Make sure you toast the pieces in the rendered fat. UNBELIEVABLE!

Just finished eating this AMAZING dish with my mother, (hubby will soon indulged) OMG what a great easy to make recipe. I have to say by far the best Carnitas recipe I've done ever! I paired it with a homemade guacamole and salsa, and warm tortillas. A perfect match

D- What can I say, it was easy, beautiful and delicious. I just wanted to tell you I have three boys in my house and they all could not stop consuming the porky salty goodness of your carnitas recipe. Myself had a porkolicious day! I skinned and boned the shoulder. Made a half gallon of pork stock - I'm thinking for short rib chili on Superbowl Sunday! - and then set the skin in salt to cure; confit; and then bake to the original salty snack. Nose to tail baby! Use it all. I even let the dog chew on the shoulder bone. She was happy! So easy; so good. This recipe is an education in salt, pork, fat and they delicate dance. Really, nothing else is needed. Well, toasted corn tortillas; chopped red onion; squeeze of lime and a splash of Tabasco, and heaven is visible. Enjoy!

I have a question about the recipe "Diana Kennedy's Carnitas" from Genius Recipes: how do people feel about the citrus addition to the basic recipe at http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/11/homesick-texan-carnitas/ ? I am conflicted.

I've made something previously involving simmering pork shoulder in water. In that recipe, it says to skim the foam that rises to the top. I'm trying Kennedy's carnitas now and there's an awful lot of foam. Should I be skimming?

I find that I need to watch things on top of the stove too carefully. It simmers, it stops, I turn it up, it boils too hard, I turn it down, it stops, and on and on. Even a really good simmer ring doesn't always help. I like the constant heat of the oven to cook things that go for a while. Has anyone tried this recipe in the oven?

(Tasty, but not the texture I was going for...)
What may have caused this? Did I over cook? Is it possible the pork shoulder had too much (or not enough) fat on it?
Many thanks for any thoughts...I'd like to try again....